Gormley unveils citizen’s carbon counter

THE travelling public need to trim their wings if they are to stop carbon emissions soaring — and that includes Environment Minister John Gormley.

A new “carbon calculator” devised to help people measure their greenhouse gas emissions shows the single biggest contributor to the average householder’s carbon footprint is aeroplane flights.

Mr Gormley tried the calculator himself yesterday and found his total came to more than 11 tonnes of carbon in a year — well over the European average of 8 and almost three times the target level of 4.